Corsie Means Business: From Pitch To Boardroom

Scottish women’s football legend Rachel Corsie has transferred from the pitch to the boardroom at Aberdeen Football Club. Here she tells us why she became a director and her role in growing the women’s game in Scotland.

The red blood of Pittodrie has been pumping through the Corsie family veins for generations. Not only did Rachel Corsie don the Aberdeen shirt at the start of her illustrious playing career, but her great-grandfather Donald Colman made over 320 appearances for the team back in the early 1900s. 

Was there ever any doubt that when Corsie looked towards her future her skills would find a home in Aberdeen?

“What the place means to me kind of speaks for itself. I’m emotionally invested in all parts of this club,” she says. “So, when the Chairman first mentioned it was a possibility for me, that became just really exciting. It’s a privileged position.”

In her post-playing world, the former Scotland captain has spread her talents across the spectrum of football life. She is a regular pundit for BBC Scotland, using her knowledge not only gained from playing, but also from her UEFA B coaching badges earned back in 2017.

But it was a pre-football qualification that maybe put her in the place where a Sporting Directorship was an opportunity. For Corsie is a qualified chartered accountant – a skill gained during her early playing years where she juggled study with soccer. That qualification and experience gives her an advantage in understanding the complexities of football as a business – and how it can be developed to grow opportunities for women which were not there when she started out.

For Corsie’s primary desire as a Director is clear. To develop the women’s and girls’ game so the club becomes a big player in talent development and spectator growth.

“It’s just about making sure we can keep encouraging young girls to play sport,” she says. “I think that’s probably a broader society scenario where we have to always make sure the slightly different challenges young girls face to young boys in taking up sport are acknowledged and supported.

“It’s about making sure that for the young girls that want to play, we find ways where they can get access to that. There are opportunities for female players to be at Aberdeen and I want them to see it as a massive place where they can develop and become a top player.

“We want great players to come through the ranks here and if they have ambitions that take them elsewhere, we want to help support that too.”

Corsie hopes developments at Aberdeen can not only benefit the Dons but be a beacon for the wider growth of the women’s game nearby.

“There’s a responsibility as well to not just grow the players that are at our club, but to ask can we also help support the clubs in our area? We can only look after so many players. But we want as many women and girls to be playing football in this part of Scotland as possible.

“There are the junior teams, there’s the Highland League. Good clubs with good infrastructure that are well funded and well looked after. The question I ask is do we, as part of our social responsibility to our community, have a desire to make sure girls and boys in this region have the support to take up this sport?

“That benefits everyone. It benefits us, but it certainly benefits all the other clubs around.”

She is also aware of the things she can bring to a changing club. Chairman Dave Cormack has shaken things up a bit behind the scenes, with new faces arriving in key administration roles. That includes the like of former England executive Adrian Bevington as the new CEO and former Cardiff City man, Nic Heslop, joining as Commercial Director.

“It’s challenging, interesting and exciting for me to learn and see again, really closely, how a club that’s a really big club with really big expectations in the city and across Scottish football can achieve that.

“I may be too young to remember the glory days of the New Firm. But I have been to Hampden and seen Aberdeen lift a trophy. I know how much this club means to lots of people. I would love for us to spend more time enjoying those experiences and I want this club to be fighting on these fronts as much as we can.

“Knowing how much potential there is for this club is exciting and one of the reasons I am here. And this role allows me to help play a part in moving us forward.”

Her role is unlikely to be just a ceremonial one, as she knows about most pillars of the game. Having played, coached, led, mentored and broadcast in Scottish football, her knowledge and connections will be crucial as The Dons forge their future.

Something the club Chairman acknowledged when announcing her appointment to the board. “Rachel is someone I’ve known and admired for a long time,” said Dave Cormack.

“Not only for everything she achieved as one of Scotland’s finest footballers, but for the intelligence, integrity and leadership she has consistently demonstrated throughout her career.

“She understands what Aberdeen FC means to the city and our supporters because she has lived it. She also brings a unique combination of elite sporting experience and professional business expertise, which will add real value around our board table.

“As we continue to evolve as a club, we’re committed to ensuring the women’s game plays an important role in our future. Rachel’s appointment underlines that commitment. She will help shape our strategic thinking while also working closely with our staff to support the continued growth of our women’s and girls’ programme in the short, medium and long-term.

“She will be a terrific role model for our young girls coming through the Academy given she herself was on a similar journey twenty years ago.”

Those who know and have played with Corsie over the years will say she is a dynamo who holds a lot of stock in clear communication and engagement.

“I want to just try and have a positive influence,” she says. “Wherever we’re at, let’s try and just chip away at making everything just that little bit better and, from there, a little bit better again.”

Her hope will be to use her positivity and multi-faceted talents to put the team she loves at the top table of European women’s and men’s club football.

Image: Aberdeen FC